54 Yards gained rushing by Lamar Miller on Miami's first play from scrimmage, leading to a TD.

64 Yards (all rushing) gained on 16 plays during march to a field goal Saturday.

332 Yards gained by Ohio State over its last six quarters, during which time it has scored only one TD.

-- Compiled by Jon Spencer

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This was LeBron bringing a title to South Beach bad. This was the sarcasm-laced "Ineligi-Bowl" turned into a teeth-gnashing "Invisi-Bowl."

As in no "O." As in Oh, no.

If you want talk of NCAA scandal to go away, there's an easy solution. Cue up the Joe Bauserman highlights from Saturday night and watch where the conversation leads.

My favorite was the option keeper, which took me back to Greg Frey on fourth-and-inches against Michigan in 1990. That one didn't work so hot either.

I had all sorts of these flashbacks while watching Ohio State's epically bad 24-6 loss to Miami unfold. It was like a "Worst Of" compilation from my 25 years of covering the Buckeyes.

Watching offensive coordinator Jim Bollman switch quarterbacks within the same series reeked of desperation and took me back to the 1998 Sugar Bowl where a season-long quarterback shuffle reached the height of absurdity. Stan Jackson and Joe Germaine took turns in the huddle, a play-to-play juggling act that confused only the Buckeyes in their 31-14 loss to Florida State.

Was Jacory Harris the opposing quarterback Saturday night or was that Chris Leak? Was that Al Golden in the orange tie on the Miami sidelines or was that Urban Meyer?

I wonder because this undressing certainly felt like January 8, 2007.

Watching Bauserman and Braxton Miller combine to complete four passes for 35 yards against Miami took me back to the BCS Championship Game four years ago, won by Florida 41-14.

Troy Smith's stat line for Ohio State that night: four completions, 35 yards.

Eerie.

And, just for the record, ewwww.

While we're taking a stroll down memory lane, how about this: The last time the Buckeyes lost by double digits without benefit of a touchdown, they switched starting quarterbacks.

The Terrelle Pryor Era, for better AND worse, began after that 32-3 beatdown at USC in (more irony) week three of the 2008 season.

The circumstances that compelled then-coach Jim Tressel to bench senior captain Todd Boeckman are a little different than the ones facing Luke Fickell should he decide to replace his own senior with a true freshman at the game's most vital position.

In 2008, the offensive line couldn't be trusted to protect an immobile Boeckman. He became a sitting duck in the L.A. Coliseum without injured running back Chris "Beanie" Wells to keep the Trojan defense honest.

With Wells prone to taking himself out of the lineup at a moment's notice and the O-line failing to hold up its end, Pryor gave the Buckeyes someone who could make something out of nothing.

Fickell may decide that's where he is with Miller and this offense.

I defended Bauserman last week, believing his game-management skills might be the way to go on a unit otherwise devoid of veteran leadership. As bad as he played against Miami, he didn't turn the ball over, compared to Miller, who turned the ball over twice on his 18 snaps, a ratio that will get you beat every time.

But the Bauserman-led offense was so inept against the 'Canes, how much worse can it get if the Buckeyes opt at this point to let Miller and a very young receiving corps grow together?

Fickell doesn't strike me as someone easily influenced by public opinion, but I can't remember a personnel decision more openly questioned on national TV than the choice to play Bauserman.

Lou Holtz, who rarely second-guesses coaches, said at halftime that Bauserman needs to sit. At the start of the ESPN telecast, it showed a graphic touting OSU's three top impact players. Miller was No. 1.

That's high praise, and highly unusual, for someone who didn't play against Toledo and got the bulk of his snaps against Akron in mop-up duty.

Everyone, at least outside the program, clearly wants the Bauserman experiment to end. Can everyone be wrong?

Miller poses a dual threat and has the most upside, the only upside apparently. With Colorado and Michigan State coming to town the next two Saturdays, Ohio State still has a chance to be 4-1 when the rest of the suspensions come off and veteran starters "Boom" Herron, DeVier Posey and Mike Adams return for the showdown at Nebraska.

By then, Miller could have two full weeks to get settled in. If in that time the Buckeyes go 1-1, or worse, oh, well. Most had them pegged for three or four losses and a second-tier bowl game anyway.

As for Fickell, he didn't endear himself to fans, especially those who'd rather have Urban Meyer calling the shots, by finishing the game -- a two-score game until the final seconds -- with all of his timeouts. Was he conceding defeat?

Afterward, it sounded like Fickell's only concession was that he doesn't have a come-from-behind offense. Having spent his entire playing and coaching career on the other side of the ball, he blamed the defense for giving up 14 first-quarter points and putting Bollman's offense "behind the 8 ball."

When it becomes Miller's offense, and he's cue balling off defenders without losing a grip, we'll know the Buckeyes are back in business.

Jon Spencer is in his 25th year of covering Ohio State football for the Mansfield News Journal.